This week, I finally gave in and bought a BMW R 1300 GS.
In a few days, I will be collecting it and, if I am honest, it feels like more than just picking up a new bike. It feels like a turning point. A reset, really, after spending far too long trying to make something work that clearly did not.
It is nearly new, with just 900 miles on the clock, and it has been specified exactly how I would have wanted it. In fact, it goes a bit further. It includes all the options I would have chosen myself, along with a few I probably would have hesitated over given the cost. Fortunately, the previous owner did not hesitate to add some extra options, which means I now get the benefit.
Africa Twin – Great Bike, Just Not For Me
The GS will replace the Honda Africa Twin I acquired at the start of the year. That bike looked perfect on paper, it is a well-regarded machine for good reason, it’s extremely capable and built for the kind of riding I enjoy most, namely long trips away.
But riding is not done on paper.
So why the change – over time issues kept creeping in, not with the bike, but with me. I was getting pain in my lower back and what started as a minor irritation gradually became something harder to ignore. Even shorter rides turned into a constant adjustment, shifting around in the seat, stopping more often than I wanted, and thinking more about discomfort than the road ahead. This was coupled with excruciating pain in my shoulders, which was the final straw for the Africa Twin.
There was nothing inherently wrong with the bike. It simply was not right for me. More accurately, I did not quite fit it. Something in the ergonomics did not suit my riding position, and over time that mismatch started to take the enjoyment out of riding.
I had a similar experience with the Triumph Tiger 1200. In that case, it wasn’t so much comfort as fit – my legs were simply a bit too short for the bike.
Once you add full touring kit and all the extra weight to a bike, it becomes something you’re constantly aware of. With the Tiger I found myself thinking far too often about the risk of dropping it, especially at low speeds or when coming to a stop. Doing that for hours on end, day after day on a tour can be draining, an was never going to end well.
That is not why any of us ride, so I had to look for an alternative.
Was The BMW GS – Just The Safe Option?
If I’m honest, I have always been hesitant to get a GS.
The GS has always carried a certain image – on one side a positive image shaped in part by watching Long Way Round and Long Way Down, with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman covering huge distances on BMWs and really kicking off the whole adventure bike industry. And then there’s the other, more familiar picture: lines of riders, often middle-aged and going grey, all on the same machine- a BMW GS.
Perhaps it was simply my own reluctance to follow the crowd, as that old saying goes – who’s the more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?
Either way, I’ve never really given the GS the fair consideration it deserved, having previously written it off as the default, or maybe the safe option.
However, here I am now in my fifties and I find myself firmly in that same middle-aged, greying category – so perhaps it was inevitable that I’d turn to the GS in the end.
A Test Ride That Changed My Opinions
Sometimes people get lucky when they buy a bike and it just fits them perfectly – In my experience, there is no such thing as luck.
I needed to dispel my preconceived ideas about the GS and the best way to do that is on a test ride. Within a few miles of riding the latest incarnation, the R1300GS, it became obvious why so many riders end up on a GS and stick with it. It wasn’t about one standout feature, but how everything worked together. The riding position felt completely natural, and of course I could get both feet down with ease. The balance inspired confidence, and the bike seemed to cooperate rather than demand constant input.
It felt intuitive, almost effortless, and the build quality was exactly what you would expect from BMW.
I Finally Got What All The Fuss Is About
Arguably, the GS is one of the best all-rounders out there. And at this stage of my biking journey, that matters. I’m no longer interested in forcing myself to adapt to a sports bike or willing to put up with discomfort from a bike that doesn’t quite fit, in the hope that it somehow magically improves. What I want now is something that can do a bit of everything, and do it well.
Choosing the GS reflects this genuine shift in mindset. Is it the most beautiful bike? Probably not. Is it the fastest, the most powerful, or the sharpest handling? No, not really.
But that misses the point.
“GS” actually stands for: Gelände and Straße – which translates to off-road and road – and it’s that balance of capability that has made the GS so successful over the years and it’s that balance that have to tap into.
Final Thoughts
A bike should suit the rider, not the other way round, especially when the aim is to cover miles and genuinely enjoy the experience. For the kind of longer-distance riding I have in mind, the versatility of the GS now makes complete sense and yes it does suit my aging body and greying hair.
So as I jump on the GS band wagon, I ask myself – have I joined the Dark Side?
As Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan would say – The truth is often what we make of it – but at this point, it feels like I’m making the right decision, and at exactly the right time, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Unfortunately, my Africa Twin and Tiger 1200 were not the bikes I was looking for. Maybe the GS is, and my next adventures can begin the moment I collect it.
There’s a new hope and the force feels strong with the GS. Hopefully, it restores the balance and if it does, it might just be the bike I’m looking for …. OK, I’ll stop with the Star Wars quotes now, as I might be channelling a bit too much Obi-Wan.
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